It is a pipe dream unless somehow this team goes to ECF or NBA finals within the next two years and Big Val, DD and Ross become all stars ...

Even those conditions met, it still may not happen. For us to get any SUPER STAR in 2016 ( Something this team really needs) , it requires being able to compete seriously within the next 2 years and I am not talking about making it to play offs and getting knocked out after the first round.

If you use free agency to get a player like Millsap you've blown your cap space to get a guy like Durant in 2016. If KD wants to come to Toronto it would have to be in a S&T and than OKC has leverage.

I don't think KD comes to Toronto anyway but I would really love to have cap space when he's a free agent just to get that chance.

That pretty much nails it. Once cap space of that magnitude has been built you pretty much have a single opportunity to maiximize it. If Kevin Love or Marcus Aldrdige is not what you really need to move to the next level in 2015 then by all means its smart business to carry forward the cap room to 2016 and make the play for Kevin Durrant.

They're in the West. Less than 50 wins mean lottery. Knicks will suck especially with Melo @ 26M a season for 5 years. Nuggets will be TWolves good maybe, which means lottery.

Great point ! Here's last years results. Lets say Denver can catch Dallas but Phoenix is likely to move up as well and stay ahead of the Nuggets. New Orleans can push Denver to see who passes both Dallas and Minnestoa who with the "Love watch" is going to slip with the non stop media circus around them. If this pattern holds true both the NYK and Denver may be in the lottery. Praying still helps though !

That pretty much nails it. Once cap space of that magnitude has been built you pretty much have a single opportunity to maiximize it. If Kevin Love or Marcus Aldrdige is not what you really need to move to the next level in 2015 then by all means its smart business to carry forward the cap room to 2016 and make the play for Kevin Durrant.

But there's no way to carry the cap forward. Players get annual raises, and we don't have any guys expiring for 2016 anymore with Novak gone. Meanwhile, DD opts out and goes from a 9.5M cap hit to a 14+M dollar cap hit. You could renounce him but I expect he's a big part of the pitch to Durant. Then JV and Ross go from a total combined salary less than 10M to a combined cap hit of 18+M. So there goes all your cap space. We might have some, but we almost certainly won't have maximum cap room in 2016, so no matter what we do, we'll have to be dealing with OKC in a SnT or looking to dump salary on other teams at the cost of picks.

So given that a sign and trade sending our multiple picks and possibly a prospect or two to OKC is already our best bet, might as well add a top talent or even a good-great player like Millsap as well as adding Durant the next summer.

But there's no way to carry the cap forward. Players get annual raises, and we don't have any guys expiring for 2016 anymore with Novak gone. Meanwhile, DD opts out and goes from a 9.5M cap hit to a 14+M dollar cap hit. You could renounce him but I expect he's a big part of the pitch to Durant. Then JV and Ross go from a total combined salary less than 10M to a combined cap hit of 18+M. So there goes all your cap space. We might have some, but we almost certainly won't have maximum cap room in 2016, so no matter what we do, we'll have to be dealing with OKC in a SnT or looking to dump salary on other teams at the cost of picks.

So given that a sign and trade sending our multiple picks and possibly a prospect or two to OKC is already our best bet, might as well add a top talent or even a good-great player like Millsap as well as adding Durant the next summer.

You should write a sticky post on situations and possibilities for our cap space the next two years. Would clear up a lot of confusion and clutter, I think.